


The untold tales of Nalsené Ryya

by sokki09



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Non-Linear Narrative, One Shot Collection, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28353324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sokki09/pseuds/sokki09
Summary: Nalsené Ryya has seen it all. From the battles of the Clone Wars to the fall of the Empire, she has watched the galaxy change through time, just as she changes with it.see also:nalsené was my very first star wars oc and i'm finally writing the story she deserves.





	The untold tales of Nalsené Ryya

**Author's Note:**

> this is purely self indulgent. nalsene is a twi'lek smuggler character that i have drawn, daydreamed, cosplayed, and finally written about. 
> 
> its 2020, and its been off and on, but star wars just won't seem to let me go. might as well write something for it lmao. all canon star wars characters that appear in this collection are tagged above.

Time: 3 ABY 

Location: Taris

Her boots were definitely soaked through by now. The swamps of what used to be a densely populated metropolis are unrelenting, as the moisture and grime covers Nalsene’s lower half. 

It was stupid to think she would find resources in such a place. She would sooner find radiation poisoning. 

She had originally stopped for fuel, hoping to find a market possibly near the space port, but hope was lost when she realized only undesirables inhabited this Outer Rim planet.

While refuelling her ship, she had heard said undesirables mention an overlord with an abundance of spices just outside of the settlement. She had also heard that there were slaves.

Nalsene couldn’t stand the thought of the enslavement across the galaxy. Maybe she hated it because of how ruthless and widespread it had become under the Empire. Maybe it was because she had a heart.

Nalsene didn’t have a lot of friends, but she had enough acquaintances in enough places that if she were able to free some slaves, they would be on an obscure mid-rim world, working towards a better life by the end of the week. 

So now, she waded through waters near the outskirts of town, wondering how she will manage to find this place. 

Looking up at the aching skyscrapers and watery streets made Nalsene wonder what happened to this place. She knew of wars that lasted for centuries across the galaxy, and that these kinds of planets were often the ghosts of battlegrounds from long ago. 

Was this the fate of the galaxy? 

Civil war raged on, no matter how much the Empire tried to hide it, and Nalsene could feel her heart palpitate at the thought of all the people that would get caught up in it.

It was nearly evening by the time Nalsene managed to find an encampment, outside of a largely renovated building. She assumed this is where the overlord lived, with his slaves in a puddle outside. 

Walking through the camp, she was not met with welcoming eyes, just hostile stares as she looked around. 

A twi’lek man sat outside of a larger tent, grease covering his arms and face, a ratty jacket over his shoulders. Now that she noticed, they all were twi’leks. 

“Whaddya want?” he calls out to her. 

It would be weird, she supposes, to have a stranger show up in your camp on a backwater planet. She hopes she can make this seem normal. She walks slowly up to the man, offering a quiet greeting.

“I’m a cargo shipper between planets. I stopped to refuel, but I overheard someone mention an overlord with slaves. I want to help.”

If it had been a human asking this, it would have been a different story, most likely. But twi’leks were known to be enslaved through centuries of history, and Nalsene hoped she could use her own freedom to help others of her kind. 

In the end, not everyone wants to leave. Of the few dozen in the camp, only six, younger slaves decided they wanted to risk it. While it was still light out, the settling dusk meant the overlord’s guests would be showing up soon. 

Some felt it was not necessary, as they recounted their tales of horrid lives before being set up in this camp. Nalsene could not understand, but she knew it wasn’t her place to tell people how life should be lived.

It was twilight by the time she and the six teenagers made the move to flee the camp. The air was still humid and hot, even without the sun beating down on them. Off in the distance, Nalsene could hear of creatures she would prefer not to interact with. 

All was fine for a few hundred meters. The kids were being quiet enough, and the makeshift palace was starting to wake up, creating a distraction from six runaways. 

They were almost back to the space port, just a dozen blocks off, when Nalsene heard someone shout in an unknown language. She turned to see three Gamorreans chasing after her group. 

It’s only a matter of moments before blaster shots are flying past her lekku, and Nalsene sees one of the young boys get shot in the shoulder. She is quick to pull out her own blaster, firing several shots behind her as she continues to run.

The space port is so close yet oh so far. If she were on her own, she would probably escape unscathed, but after promising to save these kids, she isn’t on her own anymore.

As their group weaves their way through the dilapidated streets, Nalsene can see the outline of the radar nest near the space port, high in the sky. So, so close.

“Nala!” She hears behind her, and she sees one of the young girls having fallen on the ground. The guards are close, but she urges the kids to keep running as she goes back to the red-skinned twi’lek.

“Come on, love, lean on me.” She says, hoping she sounds reassuring.

With such slow movements she is surprised she hasn’t gotten shot yet. She walks as fast as she can, but the blaster sounds ring through the air, just barely missing her. 

Suddenly, she hears a new sound. A rush of wind, three sharp blaster shots, and then a clunk. 

Nalsene turns around, only to be shocked still. Standing just a few meters away is a Mandalorian, with beskar armor shining in the dim moonlight. Nalsene’s eyes widened. It’s been a long time since she has seen a Mandalorian.

This one walks up to her, stopping just a few paces away. She wonders if he expects something.

Next to her, the young girl is still clinging to Nalsene’s arm, tears streaking down her face. There is a blaster wound on her thigh, with a bad bruise on her arm.

With the threat of the Gamorreans gone, a few of the other slave girls come out to see what happened. They were just a block away from the space port, and the kids had found refuge within a few crevices between buildings.

Nalsene looks back at the Mandalorian. 

“Why did you do that?” she calls out to him.

He steps closer, now that the red twi’lek has retreated away with her fellow slaves. Now it is just Nalsene in the darkening street.

“Instead of questioning my motives, I believe I deserve a ‘thanks,’” his filtered voice is deep and grating. 

Nalsene narrows her eyes, standing her ground. She knows better than to be intimidated by these people with lightsaber proof armor and a high-tech helmet. 

“Every Mandalorian I once knew is now dead or loyal to the Empire. Before the Great Purge, most Mandalorians were violent and irrational. Why did you save me and these people?” 

He considers her for a moment. She is too headstrong for her own good, she knows that, but Nalsene is also too curious for her own good. It is a cruel mix that would one day get her killed.

“Same reason you are saving those kids.” he pauses, “You have the means to do something, so you may as well help. I did the same.”

She looks back at the kids, all peeking out from their hiding spots to look at the man with a helmet that shines in the moonlight. 

Suddenly, Nalsene feels cold, regarding the Mandalorian with a wistful expression. She misses something… someone that she has not thought of in a long time. 

She straightens up again, remembering that she probably needs to hurt and leave before anything else happens. She stares up at the Mandalorian with an expressionless face.

“Thank you, Mandalorian. Your kindness will not be forgotten.” she turns around to head back to the kids and the space port, but pauses and glances back at him. “This is the way.”

She cannot see his face, but she knows he is surprised. “This is the way,” he replies. 

Nalsene nods, before darting off and gathering the freed slaves as she hurries toward the space port and her ship. 

In just a few hours, she hopes, these young twi’leks will find themselves with a new home, a new life, on a new planet. 

Her hopes keep her going. Her hopes keep her sane.

**Author's Note:**

> didn't really intend for the mandalorian to be din djarin, but it kinda just... fit? i started writing and it just felt like him. if you read my silly musings, please let me know what you thought!


End file.
